Senate Blocks Bill to Lower Student-Loan Interest Rates

Republicans Call Democrat-Backed Measure a Political Stunt

WASHINGTON—A bill to lower student-loan interest rates by raising taxes on the wealthy failed to proceed in the Senate on Wednesday, the latest partisan scuffle over how to address soaring student-loan debt.

The Democrat-backed measure failed to garner the 60 votes needed to clear a procedural hurdle. Instead the bill got 56 "yes" votes, almost all of them Democrats, versus 38 "no" votes, nearly all...